Grams to Pounds conversion

Grams to pounds

Grams are for small things and pounds are for people, parcels and produce — but the two meet constantly when a metric label has to be understood in the US, or an American weight has to go into a metric form. One pound is defined as exactly 453.59237 grams, so grams ÷ 453.592 = pounds. Equivalently, multiply grams by 0.00220462.

Mental shortcut

Every 500 g is 1.1 lb. So 1 kg (1000 g) is 2.2 lb, 250 g is 0.55 lb and 100 g is 0.22 lb. For anything under a pound it is often more natural to think in ounces: 100 g is 3.5 oz.

• 100 g = 0.22 lb
• 250 g = 0.55 lb
• 454 g = 1 lb
• 500 g = 1.1 lb
• 750 g = 1.65 lb
• 1000 g = 2.2 lb
• 2000 g = 4.41 lb
• 5000 g = 11.02 lb

Pounds and ounces together

American weights are usually written as pounds and ounces, not decimal pounds. To get there, take the whole pounds from the division and multiply the remainder by 16: 1 200 g ÷ 453.592 = 2.65 lb; 0.65 × 16 = 10.3, so 1 200 g is 2 lb 10 oz.

Where you will use it

Newborn weights. Hospitals in most countries record birth weight in grams; families in the US expect pounds and ounces. 3 400 g is 7 lb 8 oz. Groceries. A 400 g tin is 0.88 lb, a 1 kg bag of rice is 2.2 lb. Shipping. Carriers price by the pound in the US and by the kilogram elsewhere; a 2 500 g parcel is 5.5 lb. Fitness. Dumbbells labelled in kilograms and programmes written in pounds require the same conversion, scaled up by a thousand.

Which pound?

The avoirdupois pound of 453.592 g is the one used for everything except precious metals, which use the troy pound (373.24 g). Unless you are weighing gold, the factor on this page is the right one.

Worked examples

A 3 200 g newborn. 3 200 ÷ 453.59 = 7.05 lb → 7 lb 1 oz.

A 750 g bag of pasta. 1.65 lb.

A 20 kg suitcase (20 000 g). 44.1 lb — under the common 50 lb airline limit.

Frequently asked questions

How many grams are in a pound? 453.59 g.

What is 500 g in pounds? 1.1 lb.

How do I get ounces from the decimal? Multiply the fraction of a pound by 16: 0.65 lb = 10.4 oz.

Related conversions

Pounds to grams reverses this page; grams to ounces is better below a pound.

Good to know

Baby weights are the classic case for this conversion. Hospitals in Europe, Australia and Canada record birth weight in grams; American families and many baby books expect pounds and ounces. A "healthy average" of 3 400 g is 7 lb 8 oz; 2 500 g, the threshold for low birth weight, is 5 lb 8 oz; 4 000 g, often quoted as a large baby, is 8 lb 13 oz. Newborns typically lose 5–7 % of birth weight in the first days and regain it by two weeks — a 200 g change on a 3 400 g baby is about 7 oz.